1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to analog to digital converters (ADCs) and in particular to successive approximation register (SAR) ADCs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conversion from an analog signal to a digital representation of the analog signal is performed in an analog to digital converter (ADC). Such conversion is necessary, for example, to take a sensor input, e.g., a temperature sensor that may be represented by a voltage or current and process that sensor input digitally, e.g., in a microcontroller or other digital logic.
Many kinds of ADCs are known in the art. For example, flash and pipelined ADCs require just one cycle to digitize the analog signal and are therefore employed in speed critical applications. However, flash and pipelined ADCs are typically used in designs that are less sensitive to power or area constraints. Accordingly, improved ADCs are desirable for designs that have power and/or area constraints.